Habilitations

The development of efficient strategies to tune the CO2RR selectivity of Cu-based catalytic interfaces, especially on specific domains, such as Cu (200) facets with high activity toward competitive hydrogenation evolution reaction (HER), remains a challenging task. In this work, Cu-based catalytic layers with thiocyanate (-SCN), cyanide (-CN), or ethylenediamine (-NH2R) coordination linkages are prepared on Cu nanocolumns arrays (Cu NCAs) with predominant (200) exposed facets. The coordination of these ligands induces more Cu+ species and inhibits the adsorption of H∗ on the Cu (200) facet, leading to enhanced CO2RR performance and substantially suppressing the competitive HER. The faradaic efficiency (FE) of Cu–SCN, Cu–CN, and Cu–NH2R NWAs for producing HCOOH, C2H4, and C1 mixture products (HCOOH and CO) reach to 66.5%, 21.1%, and 57.1%, respectively. In situ spectroscopic studies reveal Cu–SCN, Cu–CN, and Cu–NH2R exhibit more reasonable adsorption energy toward ∗OCHO, ∗CO, and ∗COOH intermediates, promoting the HCOOH, C2H4, and C1 mixture generation, respectively. This study might provide a new perspective for the development of high-performance Cu-based CO2RR catalytic electrodes based on the combination of various commercial free-standing Cu substrates and organic/inorganic ligands.

Al/Ni reactive multilayer systems (RMS) with a bilayer thickness of Λ = 50 nm and total thickness th = 5 μm on a SiO2 substrate exhibit a self-propagating reaction after ignition. A common method to initiate the self-propagating reaction is by electric spark ignition. Herein, RMS are ignited by a mechanical impact using various materials with indeterminate geometries to investigate the basic mechanisms. SiO2, glass, PMMA, and resin-bonded SiC particles are used as impacting material with different geometrical impact areas. The used materials are placed on top of the RMS and a mechanical impulse is applied. The ignition behavior of the RMS is subsequently evaluated and classified. Additionally, the impacted RMS are examined by microscopy to reveal the damage pattern. By correlating particle size ⟨Dparticle⟩ and spacing ⟨dhole⟩ of the penetrating materials, an ignition threshold can be established. Moreover, the results demonstrate that the energy input threshold can be reduced through a strategic distribution of particles within the impacting and penetrating geometry. This provides valuable insights into the mechanical ignition fundamental and supports future applications of mechanical ignition of RMS.

Reactive multilayers comprising alternating nanoscale layers of Al and Ni exhibit potential across various applications, including localized heating for welding and joining. Control over reaction properties is pivotal for emerging applications, such as chemical time delays or neutralization of biological or chemical weapons. In this research, insights are offered into the intricate interplay between substrate thickness, surface roughness, and the behavior of Al/Ni reactive multilayers, opening avenues for tailored applications in various domains. To observe this interplay, silica with various thicknesses from 0.4 to 1.6 μm is deposited on polished single-crystalline Si and rough poly-Si base substrates. Additionally, to analyze the impact of varying silica thickness along the sample length on reaction behavior, silica in steplike shape is fabricated. Subsequently, Al/Ni multilayers with 5 μm total thickness and 20 or 50 nm bilayer periodicities are deposited. Reaction velocity and temperature are monitored with a high-speed camera and pyrometer. In the results, it is indicated that silica thickness significantly affects self-propagation in multilayers. The reaction is not self-sustained for silica layers ≤ 0.4 μm, depending on bilayer periodicity and substrate roughness. The velocity increases or decreases based on the direction of reaction propagation, whether it moves upward or downward, in relation to the thickness of silica.

Hard nitride coatings are commonly employed to protect components subjected to friction, whereby such coatings should possess excellent tribomechanical properties in order to endure high stresses and temperatures. In this study, WN/NbN coatings are synthesized by using the cathodic-arc evaporation (CA-PVD) technique at various negative bias voltages in the 50-200 V range. The phase composition, microstructural features, and tribomechanical properties of the multilayers are comprehensively studied. Fabricated coatings have a complex structure of three nanocrystalline phases: β-W2N, δ-NbN, and ε-NbN. They demonstrate a tendency for (111)-oriented grains to overgrow (200)-oriented grains with increasing coating thickness. All of the data show that a decrease in the fraction of ε-NbN phase and formation of the (111)-textured grains positively impact mechanical properties and wear behavior. Investigation of the room-temperature tribological properties reveals that with an increase in bias voltage from −50 to −200 V, the wear mechanisms change as follows: oxidative &flech; fatigue and oxidative &flech; adhesive and oxidative. Furthermore, WN/NbN coatings demonstrate a high hardness of 33.6-36.6 GPa and a low specific wear rate of (1.9-4.1) × 10-6 mm3/Nm. These results indicate that synthesized multilayers hold promise for tribological applications as wear-resistant coatings.

Surface structuring methods are crucial in semiconductor manufacturing, as they enable the creation of intricate structures on the semiconductor surface, influencing the material’s electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. This study employs one such structuring method known as reactive ion etching to create black Si structures on silicon substrates. After thermal oxidation, their influence on the reaction of Al/Ni nanoscale multilayers is. For this purpose, various densities of thermally oxidized black Si structures are investigated. It reveals distinct reactive behaviors without corresponding differences in energy release during differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Higher oxidized black Si structure densities result in elevated temperatures and faster reaction propagation, showing fewer defects and reduced layer connections in cross-sectional analyses. The properties of the reactive multilayers on high structure density show the same performance as a reaction on flat thermal SiO2, causing delamination when exceeding 23 structures per µm2. Conversely, lower structure density ensures attachment of reactive multilayers to the substrate due to an increased number of defects, acting as predetermined breaking points for the AlNi alloy. By establishing the adhesion between the reacted multilayer and the substrate, surface structuring could lead to a potential increase in bond strength when using reactive multilayers for bonding.